Scarred
by Hokama Sekushiru
Summary: A tale from the Guilds of 'Where Loyalties Lie'. No one doubts Liseth Aotora more than she does, especially now that she is an Assassin, and a failing one, at that. So when an opportunity arises that might improve her skill and status, there is no choice, at least, for her, other than to seize it. Small novella companion to 'Where Loyalties Lie.'
1. Chapter 1

"Forward thrust. Retreat; parry, left slash. Right slash. Forward—_Liseth, for Kingdom Hearts' sake!_"

I hear my Guide's exasperated voice chastising me, but my physical concentration is focused on my rear end, which has _once again_ impacted the hard stone floor with the finality of a stone sinking to the bottom of a pool. I let out a tremendous _whoof_ as the breath momentarily exits my lungs, rattled from tail to crown by the impact.

"Come on," Axel sighs, shaking his head. He extends a hand down to me, and I take it, feeling the red rose of humiliation blooming in my cheeks as he hauls me, without grace, back to my feet.

"I'm sorry, Axel," I say, brushing off my black training uniform. "I just… I can't seem to get the hang of doing all these motions in a row." I'm still blushing, but I attempt to keep my voice calm.

"You're going to have to if you want to get anywhere in this Guild," he says, his voice stern. Axel is probably one of the more forgiving members of the Assassins' Guild, but he never hesitates to tell me exactly what will happen to me if I screw up. I don't know if he likes making my stomach try to gnaw itself to death with anxiety, but sometimes, it sure seems like it.

I scowl at him, crossing my arms. "I know that. You've told me a hundred times already. I've got it _memorized_."

The ghost of a smirk twitches his lips for a second, but then it's gone, and he's all business again. "Then try again. Position."

I roll my eyes and step back into my battle stance, feet planted to support my body, arms loose and ready for motion.

"And… forward thrust!"

My right hand, the one holding the wavy kris knife, shoots forward at him, the dull silver training blade aimed at his chest. The blades we use for practice aren't sharp, but they're still heavy, and getting hit with one doesn't exactly feel good.

He leans back out of reach of my blade, calling "Retreat" as he does so. My arm retracts, and I shuffle my feet slightly, preparing for the move that I know comes next.

"Parry," he calls, bringing up his own, slightly longer training knife in a dazzling sideswipe toward my face. I respond by clumsily throwing up my own arm, and the blades ring off one another with a screech of metal on metal. I make sure to let mine glide—or, at least, attempt to glide—to the left, twisting my body to build up my energy.

"Left slash," Axel instructs, and I whip the dagger back at him from my left, using the full force of my body. He evades the slash easily, and I let my torso rotate to the right, whipping back around at him before I even hear "Right slash."

He ducks under my blade, and I attempt to pull my arm back for the forward thrust, but my body is going in too many different directions at once, my feet oriented now toward the right, my energy swinging me left, and my arm attempting to retract back to my chest.  
And then, once again, I'm on my bottom.

Axel's hands lower to rest on his hips, dominant left still clutching his training knife as he looks down at me. I can't tell whether the expression in his turquoise eyes is pity, frustration, or regret, or perhaps a combination of all three. My cheeks flush hot once again.

_What am I doing here? I'm a disgrace to him, and a disgrace to this Guild. At this rate, they'll probably throw me back to my House within two weeks. I'm surprised I've even lasted two months…_

"Okay, let's just… take a break," Axel huffs, with yet another shake of his head. "We'll train some more after mealtime." His eyes meet mine as I shove myself back to my feet, refusing to let him help me this time.

"Okay," I mumble, looking down quickly. I'm too ashamed to hold his gaze for very long.

He gives me one last, lingering glance, and then he turns and strides out of the room, leaving me alone in silence.

Once he's gone, I slide my training knife back into its slot in the weapon rack that covers the entire western wall of the small room; that done, I slide down into a sitting position against the bare adjacent wall, unwinding the handguards from my palms and internally cursing myself with all of the foulest language that I can muster.

It's been two months since the Rite of Initiation in November; two months since I was separated from my sister, my best friend since the day I was born, and thrown into this hellhole of a Guild.  
From the minute I learned about my eventual future, to be decided by the Hand of Light and the Heart of Spells, I was convinced that I would never survive in any Guild where initiates were required to fight. Swordplay has never been my strength; my gift has always lain with magic. I was almost certain that I would be sorted into the Sorcerers' Guild.

_Well, I was wrong, wasn't I? The Hand and the Heart made their own decision, and look how well it's turned out._

My internal dialogue is bitter and sarcastic, as it tends to be whenever I think about my skillset. I don't understand why Axel hasn't just given up on me; it would certainly be easier than trying to teach fighting to an unteachable wretch.

A sudden sound distracts me from my self-flagellation; I look up to behold the door to the training room sliding open with the soft slithering of metal rollers on their tracks. Through the door, a tall, lithe figure enters with a slinking, graceful stride. Her long blonde curls are pulled back into a tight ponytail, and when her emerald eyes light on me, her lips twist into a concerned frown.

"Lisi, it's almost time to eat," she says. "What are you doing in here?" She glances at my hands, and adds, "By the way, I think you can stop unwinding that. It's off."

I cast a perfunctory look down at my lap, letting the tie of my right handguard fall limp against my shins. I hadn't realized I was aimlessly playing with it.

"I'm not hungry, Umi," I mumble, looking back up, but not into her eyes. "Go on without me. Riku will be waiting for you."

My closest friend in the Guild shakes her head, sliding forward with that catlike walk until she is right next to me. She sinks into a crouch at my side, her head tilted slightly sideways in a curious pose.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"Nothing," I answer automatically, starting to unwind my left handguard in an attempt to evade the question.

"Liseth." Her tone is flat and frank. "Come on. I can tell when something's bothering you. What is it? Did you and Axel have an argument?"

"Not exactly," I sigh, pulling the leather cords loose and sliding the semi-gauntlet off of my wrist. I flex my fingers to relieve my stiff joints, letting the blood make its way back to my fingertips.

"Then what is it?" Umi prods. "You can tell me. If it's a secret, I won't tell."

I glance at her. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," she invites.

I huff. "Fine. I'm going to be thrown out into the streets because every time I attempt even the simplest fighting maneuver, I fall on my butt. I'm a failure and a disgrace to my House and this Guild." I cross my arms, one eyebrow raised. "Happy?"

She rolls her eyes at me. "You're a drama queen."

"I told you that you wouldn't understand," I say, shaking my head.

"Liseth, you're getting better," she insists. "Really, you are. You make more progress every day. They're not going to throw you out; just give it a little time. You'll be fine."

I sigh, not even bothering to argue this time. "If you say so."

"Come on," she says, gripping me by the wrist and pulling me to my feet. "It's time to eat, and I'm starving."

I relent, finally, relinquishing my protestations, and she leads me out of the room and down the corridor.

We find our two Guides already waiting for us upon reaching the dining hall. Riku and Axel sit side by side, engaged in animated conversation; both, however, look up as we approach, and Riku gives a small wave, which Umi returns. We take our seats on the initiates' side of the table across from them. I do not meet Axel's intense gaze.

"How did training go for you?" Riku asks, brushing a lock of silvery hair out of his eyes and glancing at me. I flush and look down, avoiding his question.

"She's improving," Axel answers for me, although his tone is far from enthusiastic.

"O…kay, then," Riku replies, raising one eyebrow. "You guys should be less optimistic; your cheerfulness is killing me."

"Sarcasm is really not helpful," Axel says, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe not from your point of view," Riku replies, shrugging. "I find it a soothing mental exercise and an effective release of stress."

"And I find it annoying, so shut up," Axel snaps.

There is a moment of silence; Riku appears taken aback, but finally, he shakes his head and continues on like nothing has happened.

That's the thing about living in the Assassins' Guild. No one ever says 'I'm sorry.'

"What did you work on?" he asks, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them.

"Can we please just…_not_ talk about training?"  
I don't even realize that I've spoken up until I notice that all three of them are staring at me; Umi wears an exasperated expression, Riku one of puzzlement, and Axel… well, it's always hard to determine what he's thinking.

"What else are we supposed to talk about?" Riku finally asks, sounding slightly uncertain. "Training is basically all we _do_."

"And isn't it fun?" asks Umi. I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not, but since Axel narrows his eyes at her, I decide that it's probably the former.

"I don't know," I say, shrugging. "There's got to be something else." I think hard for a moment, racking my brains. The others all watch me in slightly pensive silence, as if regarding a ticking time bomb about to explode. Their gazes make me uncomfortable, but what I lack in physical prowess, I can certainly attempt to compensate for in powers of mental intimidation. I ignore their stares, focusing on my thoughts.

Finally, I glance around at them, shaking my head a little. "Couldn't we talk about our lives before we came here to the Guild? We weren't training back then."

Riku and Axel exchange a glance, and Umi watches them. I can tell that she approves of my suggestion, but the Guides both seem wary, their eyes darting around the dining area.

"What?" I ask, scanning the room for myself in case I missed something that I was supposed to see. "Did I do something else wrong?"

At that, Axel scowls slightly. "Stop that. And no, not technically; you didn't break any rules. We just… we don't really talk about the past here."

"It's better to forget," Riku adds seriously. "We're trying to forge new identities for ourselves, and a new future."

Umi remains silent, and I'm sure she's glad that she said nothing now, because I can feel myself deflating like a helium balloon.

_Right. That's another screw-up I'll have to be careful of. No more asking if we can talk about the past, because the past doesn't matter. House Aotora doesn't matter, and Mama doesn't matter, and Dad doesn't matter, and… Zanna. She doesn't matter anymore. This is the new me. The Assassin me._

Except that it's not. I'm still just the same old Liseth wearing a brand-new name tag, and adding an X won't make me any more of an Assassin.

"Got it," I say, exhaling. "No talking about the past. Won't happen again."

Suddenly, Axel slams his hands down on the table, a fierce look blazing in those sea-bright eyes.

"I'm done," he growls.

"We haven't even eaten," Riku says, sounding slightly confused.

"Yeah, I don't care." My Guide shakes his head. "I'll eat later." He stands up, turning and somehow managing to exit without his feet making a single sound on the stones beneath them, though that's less of a feat in the crowded dining hall than it would have been in a training room.

"Well, all right," Riku murmurs, shaking his head and watching the direction that Axel went for a moment before turning back to Umi and me with a shrug of the shoulders. "What's eating him?"

"He hates me," I say simply.

Riku nearly chokes, his eyebrows shooting up nearly to his hairline. "_What_?"

"Well, it's true," I say. "I can't do anything right. I must embarrass him regularly. Perhaps even hourly."

"And here we go again, ladies and gentlemen," Umi says sarcastically. "Liseth, would you please _let up on yourself_? You've only been here for two months!"

"The same amount of time as you have!" I shoot back. "You're so far ahead of me that you could be my Guide if you wanted to!"

Riku snorts almost audibly. "Uh, no, she couldn't."

Umi sticks her tongue out at him. "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, _sensei_," she says, though without any real bite. Turning back to me, she continues. "Really, though, Liseth; I'm nowhere near skilled enough to be anyone's Guide. I'm barely even picking up on the basics."

"Yeah, well, I'm not picking up on them _at all_!" I huff, frustration sharpening my tone to a razor edge. "I can barely even hold a knife, let alone use it! I'm a disgrace!"

"Just give it time," Riku says, looking over at me. His aquamarine eyes, like the rest of his smooth, pale face, reflect a weirdly soothing calm that always seems to radiate from him like heat or light from the sun.

"Everyone _says_ that!" I say, throwing up my hands. "How much time should I give it, Riku? Another week? A month? Until they throw me out?"

"They won't throw you out," he says, rolling his eyes. "Trust me, we've had initiates who caught on way more slowly than you. You'll be fine."

He's not really listening. None of them ever really listen.

_None of them understand. _

I rise, shaking my head slowly. "I'm not hungry either."

"Oh, no," Umi says, reaching for my wrist. "I just got you down here; you are not pulling an Axel on us and storming out of here in a melodramatic huff."

I flick my wrist out of her reach before she can grab it, sliding off of the seat and… right onto my rear end, _again._ I don't even know how I tripped this time; all I know is that the stones are cold and my cheeks are flushed hot and Riku is trying his best to stifle a surprised laugh, but I can see it anyway.

Embarrassed and indignant, I rise to my feet and brush imaginary dust particles off of my training clothes; without another word, I turn and stalk out in the direction that Axel exited, feeling my humiliation burning brands into my cheeks with every step.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't stop walking until I reach the lift, stepping in and mashing the startup key with the flat of my palm. It vibrates tangibly beneath my hand, obviously unaccustomed to being smacked with that much force.

"Level Five, Residential," I order, trying to mask the misery in my tone with command. It isn't working, but I'm glad the lift can't actually criticize me in return. It just starts gliding down its shaft with slow, easy grace.

I sink down to my knees and rest there while the lift carries me down in silence. I can't even hear what's propelling it, which means it's probably fueled by magic, like so much of the technology in this Complex. I've only been allowed to visit the Residential, Training and Recreational Levels; any level below five or above three is off-limits for initiates without special clearance.

_And I'll obviously never get special clearance of any kind. I'm such a klutz that I can't even stand on my own two feet and walk._

The lift slides to a stop, the door opening without a sound to admit me into a long, grey hallway lined with identical black doors. The hallway seems to stretch on into infinity, but I don't have to walk that far. The number of the room that I share with Umi was the first thing that I memorized when I got here: thirteen

_Unlucky number thirteen_.

I don't believe particularly in bad omens, but if my Diviner sister were here, I'm sure she'd tell me whether my room number is one or not. At the moment, I certainly feel as though it is.

The room behind my door is small, but comfortably furnished with two beds, two dressers, and a wardrobe for storing clothes and shoes. My bright violet blankets and accessories are messily sprawled across my bed; Umi's bronze-and-brown trappings lie neatly over her bed in the opposite corner.

I flop down onto my bed and bury my head in my huge, fluffy pillow, hot tears pooling but not yet spilling over onto the fabric.

_I was the reason Axel got up and left. I made a fool of myself, and I made a fool out of him. I can't do anything right._

My mental tirades have a successful history of pushing me over the edge and into tears, and this one is no different. I sob into my pillow, letting all of the shame and frustration and humiliation leak out until I am dry and empty and hollow, my tears used up.

When I've finished my cry, I sit up, rubbing my bleary eyes with my long black sleeve. My face feels itchy and puffy, and my throat is raw; I feel and probably look disgusting. I stand and open the door, peeking down the hallway in both directions to make sure that no one I'm familiar with will catch me after I've been crying. The last thing I need is more humiliation.

Satisfied that no one is coming, I slip out of the door and proceed down the hall. The line of doors appears endless, but I've already familiarized myself with where the turn for the showers is hidden, and I turn at a particularly large stretch of blank wall between two doors; the solidity of the wall is merely an illusion, and I pass through into another, smaller hallway with two branches, of which I follow the one to the right.

The women's showers are low-ceilinged but spacious, comprised of sinks along one wall that constantly spout water, and shower stalls lining the other wall that are never turned off. Both are obviously magic-powered.

I proceed over to one of the sinks, wincing when I catch sight of my own reflection. My eyes are swollen and bloodshot, the skin around them stained pink and red. My cheeks are blotchy, too, and my hair is an absolute rat's nest, strands of it having pulled loose from my ponytail to waft down around my cheeks. I look like a mess; what's more, I look like a _pathetic_ mess. I don't look in the slightest like an Assassin worthy of her title.

With a disgusted shake of my head, I cup my hands beneath the lukewarm spray from the sink, splashing it on my cheeks. The slightly-warm water feels good, and I splash my face again, wiping the excess water out of my eyes and sighing.

Just then, footsteps sound from the hallway behind me, along with the sounds of laughing voices.

I panic; I can't let anyone see me like this. Quickly, I turn away from the sink and dart into a shower stall, closing the door behind me. The warm water almost immediately soaks my clothes through, but I don't care; I'm safe, for now.

As they grow closer, the jumbled voices slowly evolve into two distinct tones, one higher than the other, but slightly more nasal. Both of them sound amused about something, and the higher-pitched voice often breaks into laughter.

I've never been much of a gossip, nor have I ever been incredibly socially curious, but I am struck with the sudden desire to listen to what they are saying. Part of it may just be that I'm hidden, and therefore, they will speak more freely under the assumption that no one can hear them. The other part, though…

I shrug and press my ear up to the shower door, listening.

"…can't believe we actually got this assignment," the lower voice is saying in a gleeful tone. "How lucky are we? Only fourth year in and we're part of the biggest secret that this city's ever known."

"Of course we got in," the higher voice counters, giggling. "I always knew we were destined for something special! Didn't I tell you?"

I roll my eyes slightly, but continue listening, slightly intrigued by the conversation. Whoever these two are, they've apparently got some sort of _ultra_-special clearance. Maybe I can find out what it's for, and what I'd have to do in order to get one.

_If I could do it, maybe Axel wouldn't think I'm a screw-up! Maybe he'd actually like me; or even be proud of me!_

With that in mind, I press closer to the door, listening even more intently.

"You certainly did," the first voice replies, laughter tingeing her tone. "Maybe I should listen to you more often."

"We can discuss that," the second voice says. "After it's all over and we're installed at the head of the city, who knows what sort of ranking we'll get?"

"Don't get cocky just yet," the first voice admonishes teasingly. "We have to actually pull this off first, and darkness knows how difficult it'll be to infiltrate the Diviners' Complex, much less actually pull off kidnapping their Guildmaster."

My blood immediately freezes in my veins.

_The Diviners' Guild… but Zanna is a Diviner! _

"Shh, not so loud!" the high voice cautions, but she's at the brink of laughter again, so the warning doesn't sound too serious. "We don't want someone without authorization to hear us! That'd ruin all the fun!"

"It'll be more fun when Guildmaster Sirix makes the announcement to the entire Guild," the other voice responds.

"How do you figure?" the high voice questions curiously.

"It'll be closer to the time when we finally ascend to our rightful places…"

The voices drift away; they must have been at the sinks while they talked, and now they're leaving, growing fainter as they move down the hallway.

I stand absolutely still in the shower stall, warm water still pouring down over my face in rivulets and soaking into my already-saturated clothes.

Guildmaster Sirix is planning some kind of assault against the Diviners' Guild. What that is, I'm not exactly certain, but it involves kidnapping their Guildmaster, and then… the first girl mentioned something about 'ascending' and being installed at the head of the city, which I can only assume constitutes a total takeover.

My brain is whirling with the implications of what I've just heard, and it takes a moment for my body to snap into sync, but suddenly I'm hyperaware of the fact that I am in possession of classified information that _no one else knows that I know._

A slow grin spreads over my face, and I can feel it stretching my cheeks and pulling at my ears, but I'm too excited to care.

This is my _chance_. If I can infiltrate whatever secret plot is going on beneath the surface of the Assassins' Guild, maybe gather some key information, then not only can I possibly warn my sister and the rest of the Diviners' Guild, but I can _prove_ to Axel, once and for all, that I'm not a screw-up and that I deserve to be a member of the Assassin ranks.

Quickly, I unlock the shower door, yanking it open and sprinting out of the washroom, ignoring my wet clothes and wet hair.

I've got plans to make.

Luckily, my room is still empty when I reach it, and the girls from the washroom are nowhere in sight, though I doubt I would have known them if they were; I never saw their faces. I pull open the room's door, dash in, and then close it and lock it behind me, stripping out of my wet clothes at lightning speed and replacing them with fresh ones made of the same matte black, clinging fabric. I toss the wet ones into an empty drawer; I'll get to them later.

First things first; I've got to know where I'm going before I can get there. I know that levels one, two, six, and seven are the classified, restricted levels, but I've got no idea of which level the information about this secret plot might be located on.

_That's my first task, then. Find out which level of the Complex that I need to infiltrate. Second is figuring out how to get there._

Compared to the first task, the second seems a breeze. I've always been adept at the use of shadow magic, and sneaking around was one of my favorite activities back in House Aotora. No one could beat me at Hide and Seek. Finding out which floor is the right one, though; that'll be tricky, especially if I hope to do it without revealing my plan to anyone who might try to stop me.

My mind immediately sorts through a list of possibilities, but all of them I reject because they involve actually talking to someone, and lying, unlike sneaking around, has never been a strong suit of mine.

I suppose all that leaves is eavesdropping some more, then, although who knows when someone else might come along whose tongue is as careless as the tongues of those girls from the bathroom? My hopes begin to deflate slowly, sagging like an emptying hot air balloon.

_I can't pull this off because I can't even figure out where to go._

A knock on the door and a voice calling, "Liseth?" distract me from my reverie; I look up toward the door, which is vibrating slightly from the force of the knock.

"Why did you lock the door?" Umi calls. "Are you still upset? Riku didn't mean to laugh at you!" Another knock. "Come on, Lisi! Open up!"

I stand and go to the door, unlocking it and opening it to reveal Umi, standing there with her fist poised for another knock.

"Sorry about that," I say sincerely, standing aside to let her in. "I went to the showers, and I locked the door so no one could get in while I was changing." Not a complete lie; but not the whole truth, either.

She takes in my wet hair and nods, her posture relaxing a bit. It's clear that she thought she would have to do a bit of arguing, and I feel a slight prick of shame for that.

"All right," she says, entering and flopping down onto her bed, which creaks slightly under her weight. She isn't very heavy, but she's well-muscled and wiry like a cat.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she adds, resting her head on her hands and gazing up at the ceiling. "Riku and I went to find Axel and he was pouting in the training room, as usual. Riku made him feel really guilty for storming out; it was actually kind of funny to watch him blush." She snickers.

I laugh a little, although it doesn't sound that funny to me.

"I like Axel, but he overreacts a lot," Umi says. "Riku says he's got quite the temper, and I'm starting to believe it."

_It's not really any more than what I deserve_, I think to myself, but I refrain from commenting. There's no point in starting another argument. Instead, I say, "If you wanted to find out something without anyone knowing you were trying to find out, how would you do it?"

She raises one golden eyebrow at me. "What's that about? Are you trying to find something out?" Smirking, she adds, "Possibly how to get on Axel's good side?"

I flush violently, shaking my head. "_No_. I was just curious. We are Assassins, after all; it's part of the job description." I feel like it's a wimpy excuse, but it's all I can come up with on short notice.

Umi shrugs. "I don't really know. Possibly I'd try to psych the answer out of someone, but I'm not as good at that as my mother was when she did it to me and my siblings. She was scary."

I give a genuine laugh at that; partly because it's true, and partly because I'm envisioning Umi trying to psych someone out.

"But if I couldn't psych them out," she continues, "I'd probably look for clues or try to listen in on people's conversations to see if I could catch anything about it. People tend to have looser jaws when they think they're alone."

_Well, I'm back where I started, but at least she'd do the same thing._

"Okay," I reply out loud, shrugging. "I'll keep that in mind in case I ever have to do it."

She snorts. "That won't be for a while. We don't get to do anything really interesting until second year."

I grin at her. "Restless already?"

"You know it," she replies instantly. "I'm ready to prove myself!"

_So am I, Umi,_ I think. _So am I._


	3. Chapter 3

I wake up the following morning with a brand-new sense of resolve burning within my chest, right beside the flame of humiliation that has lingered there ever since my initiation into this Guild. My evening exercises following the shower escapade didn't have noticeably different results than usual, but I could feel something different _inside_; a brand-new determination fueling every motion, every thrust of the knife and every step. Axel noticed it too, I could tell, and the fact that he _almost_ smiled makes my heart sing with fierce pride every time I remember it.

I roll out of bed in one motion, trying to emulate the catlike way that Umi moves, somehow so naturally. Of course, I flub it up, landing right on my rear end, but my determination somehow remains unscathed, and I bounce right back to my feet again, moving with a lightness of step that I didn't know I possessed.

_Today is the day. I'm going to find out whatever I need to know about this underground operation in order to stop it. I'm going to prove to Axel that I can be a good Assassin, and I'm worthy of my place here. I'm going to do it!_

"Liseth, _what_ are you doing?"

Immediately, I look up, blushing as I realize that Umi's eyes have been on me the entire time. She is looking at me with a slightly bemused expression, her blonde hair still a little tousled from sleep.

"Ah… sleepwalking?" I say sheepishly, phrasing it more like a question than a reply. I must have looked totally ridiculous.

"Okay, sure," she says, rolling her eyes at me in a long-suffering manner, as if I were a mischievous child getting underfoot. "Now what were you _really_ doing?"

"Daydreaming," I sigh, untangling my blankets from beneath my feet and tossing them back up onto the bed. They land sprawled over the mattress; I give them a halfhearted tug, but they mostly stay where they fell.

"About Axel?" she asks teasingly, standing up with a luxurious yawn which far more accurately evokes the feline than did my awkward out-of-bed roll.

"Will you stop with that?" I moan, tossing a pillow at her offhand. She easily dodges it, sticking her tongue out at me as she does so.

"Stop with what?" she asks innocently, sliding over to the wardrobe and rummaging around her side for a fresh set of clothes, which she begins pulling on as I make my own way over to the wardrobe.

"You know what," I accuse, grabbing leggings, a tunic, a belt, and my boots and hauling the load back to my bed to dress. "All this teasing me about Axel. I don't have even the remotest romantic feeling for him. He's like this… impersonal granite god, or something. He doesn't even like me."

"You just called him a god, in case you don't realize the depth of your unrequited love," she sings, yanking her shirt over her head.

"Because he's a better Assassin than me, not because I think he's attractive!" I yank my own shirt on with ferocious intensity, nearly ripping the black fabric in the process. It clings semi-tightly to my body, and I look down to inspect my own figure as the clothes settle into their comfortable places. I've always been short and skinny, as my sister so often reminded me back in House Aotora; now, though, I'm beginning to develop musculature through my abdomen, arms, and legs, although my chest remains as small as ever, my hips woefully un-feminine. I look, in short, very similar to a teenage boy.

"But you just admitted that you think he's attractive." Umi continues to poke at me as she laces up her boot straps, grinning the entire time like the whole thing is one colossal joke.

"Stop twisting my words!" I growl, reddening when I realize that her teasing is what prompted my inspection of my body, and then flushing further when I realize that my figure bothers me and I don't really know why I care.

"I'm only a mirror reflecting your inner passions," she declaims melodramatically, pointing one finger at me.

"All right, that's it." Leaving one boot half-tied, I stalk across the room and jump onto her bed, wrestling her down into a quasi-headlock, although I'm not quite strong enough to manage a real one. She's laughing uncontrollably, and I get the feeling that she's letting me hold her, which is almost more infuriating than the teasing.

"Take it back," I command, flicking her on the jaw with enough force to irritate, but not to really hurt.

"Never!" she gasps, breathless from laughing.

"Then suffer!" I proclaim, releasing her neck and proceeding to tickle her mercilessly in the ribs, which prompts squeals of helpless laughter, and then I'm laughing too, and suddenly we're both in a heap on the bed, giggling like middle-school girls talking about a passing crush.

I'm suddenly struck with how grateful I am to have Umi as a friend in this distant, cold place full of stone-hearted, impassive people. Out of all of them, she's the one who most reminds me of my House days, when I could just be myself without worrying about making a mistake. But, of course, I could never say that to her; it would be against Guild protocol.

_I can keep it in my mind, though. And I can treat her like a sister, although no one can replace Zanna._

Slowly, our laughter calms down into sighs, and then to normal breathing, and we're back to routine again. Umi is the first to stand, rolling up onto the balls of her feet, and I follow after her, imitating the movement and hiding a grin when I manage not to trip, although my roll is not graceful and fails to be accentuated by my diminutive height.

"Shall we proceed to training?" she asks, raising one eyebrow in a mock-formal expression.

I stifle a giggle, composing my expression into a mask of indifference, or what I _hope_ is indifference. "We shall."

We exit our room and let the door slide shut behind us.

After we leave our room, I let Umi stride on ahead of me, intentionally falling behind in a slow, casual walk. My eyes flick from side to side, and I allow my periphery to scan for anyone walking up behind me.

Initiates like Umi and me would be the least likely to know about this secret project; I'll likely be the most successful with Assassins of the higher years; the Guides and Masters, who are the most skilled in the secret arts. So, that's who I'm looking for; or, rather, looking _out_ for.

I make it all the way down the hall and into the lift without encountering a single soul, though; with a sigh, I step in and mash the button, ordering the magical contraption to take me to the Training Level, which is Four in our sequence of floors. It complies almost immediately, a single shudder accompanying its transition from stillness into motion.

I tap my foot on the smooth surface below me as I wait for the lift to stop and the doors to slide open and allow me exit into the network of small rooms where I spend the better part of my days as a member of this Guild. I haven't seen the sun in what feels like forever; the only reason that I even know the date is that the Assassins maintain an elaborate timekeeping device in the dining area that records date and time simultaneously.

I think about what Axel will say to me when I come in, if he says anything at all. Riku reportedly told Umi that Axel is a bit of a loudmouth and a hothead, but whenever we're training, the only thing about him even reminiscent of warmth is the color of his fiery hair. He smells vaguely of smoke and burning ozone whenever he steps close to me, and the smell is foreign and intimidating, like a hidden power residing within his skin and bones. He scares me, just a little, but he's also a little mysterious.

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts that it takes me a long moment to notice that I've been moving for much longer than it usually takes to get from Residential to Training; in addition to that, the already-dim conditions of the lift have slowly darkened as I've been moving, the air around me growing steadily cooler, as if I'm deep underground.

Slightly wary now, I move closer to the wall of the lift, placing one hand against it to steady myself. As far as I know, the lift has never malfunctioned, but that's what it seems to be doing.

_Just my luck that it would malfunction while I'm on it. Maybe someone set this up to get rid of me; trap me in this little box and starve me to death, or else carry me down into the center of the world until the pressure crushes me to death._

I'm not sure if the lift can actually exceed the boundaries of the Guild Complex, but my breathing quickens just a little, my pulse racing beneath my skin as I imagine tons of pressure bearing down on me from outside, crushing me into a bloody pulp of skin and bone powder. The image is so disturbing that I gag a little and shove it quickly away.

Suddenly, the lift shudders to a stop, the cessation of motion so immediate that I stumble a little, reflexively tightening my hand against the wall in an effort to grab on. I manage to keep my balance, though, somehow, and move slowly away from the wall, peering around in the near-darkness. The doors don't appear to have opened yet, and I wonder if they will.

At almost the exact moment that I have the thought, the doors slide open with the usual soft _whoosh_, revealing a long corridor outside that I have never seen before.

I don't know what prompts my reflex, but before the doors are open, I am crouched in a predatory stance, shadow magic engaged in erecting a primitive shield of darkness around my figure. If someone touches me or shines too much light in here, the shield will be useless, but in the corner, in almost total darkness, no one should know that I'm here, unless they can sense the magic.

A figure waits in the corridor outside; I can't discern any visible features, but the shape of the body seems vaguely feminine. 'She' is clothed in strange robes very different from the Assassin training uniform, and her arms hang loosely at her sides in a relaxed posture. Upon catching sight of the interior of the lift, though, her stance shifts into something more irritated or defensive, and my heart skips a beat. Did she see me?

"This is the third day in a row that the lift has been _empty_," the figure mutters, and now I can _definitely_ tell that it's a woman.

"If she doesn't deliver the information soon, I'm leaving, no matter what Vanitas says," the woman continues, crossing her arms and huffing. "This is getting ridiculous, and putting me in danger besides. Three more days, and that's it, with or without information." She gives a small shudder. "I hate this place, anyway. It's so cold all the time, and dark… what good is dark without the stars?"

One of her hands slides out and presses something on the wall outside of the lift; a second later, the doors are sliding closed once more, and the lift is moving upwards and away from danger.

I don't even realize that I was holding my breath until it comes rushing out in a huge sigh of relief, and I crumple to the floor, arms and legs shaking.

_That was almost too close. I can't believe that shield worked. Normally, any Assassin worth her salt would have been able to sense that magic_.

Maybe the lower floors dampen that kind of power, though. With the restrictions on them, who knows what sorts of spells and traps could inhabit those floors?

Then, an entirely new thought occurs to me, and one that sends a chill through my bones and up and down my spine.

_Maybe she wasn't an Assassin at all. Maybe she was an outsider. Which means that whatever this plan is, it's involving more than just this Guild. I've got a potential coup d'état on my hands_.

But I've also got a name now: Vanitas. And a time frame, as well. I've only got three days, and then the outsider will be gone for good, by her own words. As the lift continues to carry me upward, my mind is already evolving a plan of action.

_I'll figure this out yet._


End file.
